Royal Air Maroc acquires new Boeing aircraft

RABAT, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Moroccan flag carrier Royal Air Maroc said on Friday it took delivery of a 737-800 Boeing plane as part of a plan to expand its fleet.

The airline would add another 737-800 Boeing jet next month and an Airbus A321 plane later this year to expand its Boeing-dominated fleet to 43 jets, it said.

Royal Air Maroc has a $2.0 billion investment plan to buy 29 new planes for the 2007-2013 period.

The government wants to increase tourist numbers to 10 million by 2010 from 6.5 million last year and encourages the expansion of air tranport, including low-cost flights, to spur visitor arrivals.

Morocco signed an Open Skies agreement with the European Union last year to open its air travel business to new airline competitors, including low-budget carriers such as Ryanair (RYA.I: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and easyJet (EZJ.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).